Times are tough for managers, we hear everywhere. Overworked and exhausted, they are facing a generation of employees who refuse any form of authority. To break this deadlock, Anne-Sophie Michel, an Isarta trainer, suggests returning to the fundamentals of management, focusing on emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. Interview.
Isarta Infos: Through your practice, do you observe this so-called management crisis that many talk about?
Anne-Sophie Michel: Absolutely. Recently, I facilitated a group of 25-30 people in the manufacturing sector, all managers. They were struggling to recruit new supervisors, meaning new managers.
The managerial role has become exceedingly complex. I hear stories of employees taking time off as they please, in a context where the production chain must be tightly scheduled.
Where does the problem come from, in your view? Employees refusing authority or managers being poorly equipped?
A.-S. M: Both. In the past, management was largely authoritarian. If you weren’t happy, you were told to find another job. Today, we can’t say that… because employees will actually leave!
We are transitioning from authoritarian leadership to more human-centered leadership. Without the human aspect, there’s no performance. The issue is that new managers are not properly trained, or if they are, they don’t receive the necessary support in their role.
What skills should a new manager develop?
A.-S. M: First, let’s remember that being a manager is a profession in itself. Just because an employee excels in their field doesn’t mean they are necessarily fit to be a manager. They must acquire or develop interpersonal skills, such as active listening.
A manager friend shared that, for over a year, one of his top employees had shown a significant change in behavior—he no longer listened and was less productive. I asked my friend if he had sat down with him to see how he was doing. The answer was… no!
Managers need to develop a blend of empathy, active listening, and human-to-human connection to be able to say: “Look, I’m here if you need anything. If not, I’ll guide you to the right resources so that ultimately, you feel good, can do your job, and together, we can achieve our goals.”
What can organizations do to help managers move toward this more human-centered leadership?
A.-S. M: What’s largely missing is support. You can’t teach and develop relational skills just by listening to someone talk. It absolutely requires coaching and real-life support in the workplace.
Coaching allows for feedback on past experiences, highlighting successes and lessons learned. It also helps strategize to overcome future challenges.
Another aspect of the “management crisis” is that managers are overwhelmed… What can they do to stay afloat?
A.-S. M.: I address this issue in a training called : Project Management – The Fundamentals of Work Organization, where I teach practical project management techniques like task planning and prioritization.
People often think project management only applies to large-scale projects, but at its core, it’s about work organization. In training, I help managers break down their workload into smaller projects. To create the “ideal” leader, we need both aspects: performance and humanity.
training.isarta.com 
